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Thursday, June 13, 2013

1 Chicken, 2 Amazing Food Blogger Recipes

I don't know about you, but I find whole birds-- chicken and turkey alike-- to be a little intimidating. The thawing, the removing of the insides (ew. I just can't.), the carving, the constant checking of moisture levels, internal temperatures, and browning... it's a lot of work. This would also explain why I have had a whole chicken in my freezer (darn those Easter BOGO deals!) for several weeks now that I have been dragging my feet on thawing and preparing.

Enter one of my favorite food blogs Baked by Rachel and a life changing (okay, perhaps a bit dramatic) recipe: Garlic & Dijon Slow Cooker Chicken. Yes, that's correct. You can roast a chicken in your slow cooker. Genius! I gave it a try this week and I have to say that it was the most perfect roasted bird I have ever prepared. The chicken ends up super moist and literally falls off the bone, which makes carving super easy. Alex even said "this is better than Thanksgiving." I think that pretty much sums it up.

You can check out Rachel's original recipe via the link above, but I made a few updates of my own as well:

I poured roughly 1/2 cup dry white wine into the slow cooker while the chicken cooked. I'm not sure exactly how much it was-- just enough to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.

Instead of cooking on high for 4 hours, I cooked my chicken on low for 8 hours. This was the perfect cook time to set up while we were at work all day.

Of course a whole chicken yields a LOT of meat-- way more than the two of us can eat in one dinner. Something else that I should mention is that I'm also terrible at using leftovers. I have thrown away more leftover chicken than I care to admit. Well, I finally planned ahead this time and was totally inspired by another one of my favorite food blogs Iowa Girl Eats. Recently, Kristen posted a recipe that was right up my alley and that I could not wait to try: Caprese Chicken Nachos. This was the perfect way to use all that leftover chicken.

And these nachos are delicious. They make for a really fun summer dinner-- and a cool spin on a caprese panini or salad. Who doesn't love nachos after all?

Kudos to these two ladies for creating two amazing recipes-- and for taking care of two dinners on my menu this week!

1 comment:

Another specialty of the Thai Ethnic Group is steamed sticky glutinous rice. Local people consider this as their best traditional food. Bamboo-tube rice is another tasty variety which they normally make for festivals.

A Squared is all about life, love, and the pursuit of great food here in the fabulous city of Chicago. I love food: both cooking (it's my therapy) and trying new restaurants. You can also find me exploring Chicago, traveling, drinking wine, studying architecture, and spending time with my husband, friends & family. And I will share it all with you here.
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